Garrett II Harquess
Garrett II Harquess was the thirtieth monarch of Dorio. His ascension was controversial, and so in his short reign Garrett sought to avoid causing significant upheaval. Early life Garrett Harquess was born in 492 DR to Evan Harquess, then the Earl of Brickhart. His adolescence took place during the early reign of King Albus V, and so Garrett was educated along the Albussian model of staid and rational governance. Garrett took strongly to the Albussian method, and so he moved to the Cantingvale royal court in 514. Time at court Garrett became personally acquainted with Albus V not long after his arrival at court, and the two became close due to their similar theories of governance. Garrett also began courting Albus' eldest daughter, Anita, at this time, and the two married in 516. Due to this closeness, Albus declared Garrett to be his heir in 520; this decision was derived from the Daravian model of cognatic primogeniture, although it would pass the crown to Garrett rather than Anita herself. This decision led Talbot Osbrin, the prior heir apparent, to declare Garrett an inappropriate choice for rule; Talbot argued that Garrett was untested in an actual position of rulership. The debate went on for years, to little effect; Albus largely ignored the issue, and there was no desire to use military force to press the issue. In 531, General-Regnant Luther Grouss of Leguna responded to his expulsion from the Golden Quintet with military attacks against Dorio's eastern border; seeking to prove his worth to supporters of Talbot, Garrett took command of the Dorian defense. As a commander, Garrett emphasized holding strong defensive positions and using superior weaponry to repel attacks with as few casualties as possible. This did prove to be effective, and served to silence some of Garrett's detractors. The following years were relatively quiet, but as Albus V's health deteriorated in the early 550s, Talbot tried again to argue in favor of restoring himself to the heirdom. This again was unsuccessful, but it did stir up many of the criticisms of Garrett that had earlier been quiescent. Reign Garrett acceded the Dorian throne in 553, and sought to continue the policies that Albus had originated. However, he was met with conflict when Anders Gerrispond attempted to claim the throne in 554. The son of one of Albus IV's bastards, Gerrispond attempted to capitalize on criticism of Garrett and seize power. However, Gerrispond was unable to generate significant support, and his uprising quickly failed. Talbot, seeking to distance himself from Gerrispond's armed rebellion, led the mission that actually captured Gerrispond; this helped repair relations between him and Garrett. However, even after the claims against Garrett's legitimacy subsided, his reign was not peaceful: pro-parliament protests began occurring in Cantingvale in the later 550s. Unwilling to jeopardize his position by creating an entirely new governmental institution, Garrett ignored the protests. In 559, Garrett succumbed to an epidemic of respiratory illness. Personal life After moving to Cantingvale, Garrett became close to the entire royal family; thus, when he courted Anita Osbrin, he soon became the favored choice to marry her. Garrett and Anita were close, and over the years they had three children. Category:Dorians Category:Harquess Family Category:Monarchs